UNL students dive into Super Bowl ad strategies in new course

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – With more than 100 million viewers and millions of dollars in advertising revenue, one UNL professor is investigating the science behind super bowl commercials.

“Brian Hubbard is the instructor,” Mikayla Teet said. “He has taken history of the NFL and advertisements and put together these different modules that are organized by the decades.”

Teet, a sophomore in the class, told Channel 8 that advertisements do more than just push a product.

“I think it’s really cool to get an idea of current trends and understanding the work that’s going into all of this,” she said.

According to AP News, this year’s commercial production came at a tough time for advertisers.

Most of the commercials airing during the game will be avoiding controversy after a very divisive election season.

“We talked about the focus of where these brands are trying to take their ads this year,” Teet said. “They’re trying to go for a silly vibe and trying to stay away from any political discourse.”

The finalized group of ads feature mash-ups, nostalgia and even some creative risks.

Teet says brands playing on emotions like these often stick with people the most.

“Budweiser commercials are always tearjerkers with their Clydesdale horses or the little puppy,” she said. “I think that Doritos and Reese’s and snack food advertisers are always fun and quirky.”

From the use of celebrities to huge budgets, Super Bowl TV makes for a night of fun, but also great learning opportunities for students like Mikayla.

“So, I think that as an advertising and public relations major, looking at the history of advertisements and how they’re using them now. The production that goes into it and learning from history is going to be beneficial to my future.”